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2014 Brut 1er Cru “Cuvée Spéciale”

J. Lassalle
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When a producer decides to make a vintage Champagne, she commits to waiting a minimum of four years to release it. But the Lassalle women tucked this bottling away for even longer, allowing it to slumber on its lees for seven years. I commend them for their patience and can attest that this cuvée—made solely for us, the American market—is well worth the wait. With a pleasing weight and grip on the palate, this is a Champagne to savor. Breathe in the delicate aromas of peach blossom and brioche. Feel how the tiny, yet vigorous, bubbles fill your mouth, energize your tastebuds, and encourage you to take another sip. Observe how lively notes of citrus and stone fruit seamlessly give way to a luxurious creaminess. Take note of the long, stony finish. Third-generation Lassalle vigneronne Angéline Templier was once asked in an interview why Kermit chose to import the family’s Champagnes back in the ’70s, to which she explained, “He had a crush on the wines.” I now feel the same infatuation.

Meghan Foley

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Technical Information
Wine Type: sparkling
Vintage: 2014
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay
Appellation: Chigny-Les-Roses
Country: France
Region: Champagne
Producer: J. Lassalle
Winemaker: Chantal Decelle-Lassalle and Angéline Templier
Vineyard: 50 years average; 16 ha total
Soil: Clay, Limestone
Aging: Aged minimum 7 years on the lees before disgorgement
Farming: Lutte Raisonnée
Alcohol: 12%

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About The Region

Champagne

map of Champagne

True Champagne must not only sparkle, but also must come from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France and be made using méthode champenoise—a process that involves prolonged aging of the wine as well as a bottle fermentation used to add the sparkle to the finished product. Though wine has been made in this region since at least the 5th century, Champagne as we now know is a relatively new creation. It wasn’t until the 19th century that sparkling wine production took hold on a large scale in much part due to improvements in the strength of glass for bottles and the embrace of French nobility of the sparkling wines of the region.

Only three grape varieties may be used to make Champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. The chalk-heavy soils not only provide complexity and texture to the finished wine, but also act as a natural humidifier thus keeping the vine’s roots warm during colder months of the year. There are grand cru and premier cru designated vineyard areas but unlike Burgundy, there are few lieu-dit vineyards (though in recent years there has been a greater interest in producing vineyard specific Champagnes).

Kermit’s first foray into the region came in 1981 when he began importing the wines of J. Lassalle and Paul Bara—two producers whose wines we still import. In the mid 2000s, Kermit began importing the wines of Veuve Fourny et Fils.

Of Champagne, Kermit says, “You might be surprised to learn that I don’t like a goût de terroir to dominate the taste of Champagnes. If it dominates, you lose finesse. I want some, obviously—but only enough to keep things interesting.”

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Where the newsletter started

Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch

Read the whole story

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